Who is under the heaviest Oly pressures?

This season, Mao, Caro, and Rochette seem to be under enormous pressures.

I feel that Mao's pressures seem to be mostly coming from her obsession with 3As rather than outside pressures. The media has not been as crazy as it was with Miki 4 yrs ago. They have also been consistently supporting. She is a media favorite in a warm way. Besides, Mao seems less concerned about how others may think of her than Miki did. She has a strong focus on her skating. If anything, being hit on so many subtle DGs would have affected her psycho a lot.

Rochette is very different from the last year, which seems due to the Oly pressures.

It is surprising that Yuna seems pretty lighthearted despite some vulnerabilities. Yuna certainly seems under the heaviest national pressures. But she's coping well.

I count on Miki for possibly being strongest under pressures. After all those dramas for many years, she may be most resilient. As the saying goes, the one who saw the hell may be the strongest:yes:

I honestly do not quite see what's happening with Lepisto. Why is she so inconsistent? Is she under pressures for being Euro champ?

I agree that Kim is probably under the most pressure. It didn't really affect her at the beginning of the season, but I think that it is starting to creep up now. (at least judging from her past two competitions)

All the Canadian skaters are probably under huge pressure as well, considering the huge expectations the media has of them.

Who do you mean by Caro? Kostner or Zhang? I think Kostner is probably under alot of pressure now, since World's is in Italy, but it's nothing like what she faced at the Olympics in 2006. I can't forget how she crumbled in both her SP and LP. Poor Kostner!

mycelticblessing said:

I agree that Kim is probably under the most pressure. It didn't really affect her at the beginning of the season, but I think that it is starting to creep up now. (at least judging from her past two competitions)

All the Canadian skaters are probably under huge pressure as well, considering the huge expectations the media has of them.

Who do you mean by Caro? Kostner or Zhang? I think Kostner is probably under alot of pressure now, since World's is in Italy, but it's nothing like what she faced at the Olympics in 2006. I can't forget how she crumbled in both her SP and LP. Poor Kostner!

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Yeah, I meant Kostner. But she may be always under pressures. I thought that Olympics were a bad experience for her, but after seeing all the inconsistency throughout the seasons, I changed my mind. She and Verner are kind of similar.

Yuna, Mao, Miki & Joannie for ladies.

Probably S/Z for pairs -- since it's their last chance at OGM.

As for men...maybe Evan? He's the reigning world champ & newly crowned GPF champ. Oh...and Patrick, maybe.

"Pressure" is subjective, but I believe it's YuNa and Joannie.

They're both the sole lady figure skaters from their respective countries who have a strong chance to medal. YuNa has the additional pressure of being the incumbent World Champ (and so-called 'favourite'); Joannie has the additional pressure of skating in her own country.

ETA: I agree with Nadia about Shen/Zhao for the Pairs.

YuNa for Ladies.

Evan for Men. Plushenko as well after his performance in Russia. Patrick doesn't have much on him right now I don't think. Maybe after Canadians it will increase.

S/S for Pairs

Dance is a bit of a toss up, but I would say D/W. They just won the GPF, ahead of V/M. It will be interesting to see how they hold up at the Olympics with a C/D. V/M have pressure too but they seem to handle pressure well.

I feel that Nobu may have some. He is already getting stiff whereas Dai has little to lose after the injury.

Johnny may not have outside pressures, but I am sure that he'd love to prove himself.

Jeremy may have some, too.

It's not that everyone in the skating board is watching him out, but, at GPF, I felt that Evan was pressured by judges.

i love to skate said:

YuNa for Ladies.

Evan for Men. Plushenko as well after his performance in Russia. Patrick doesn't have much on him right now I don't think. Maybe after Canadians it will increase.

S/S for Pairs

Dance is a bit of a toss up, but I would say D/W. They just won the GPF, ahead of V/M. It will be interesting to see how they hold up at the Olympics with a C/D. V/M have pressure too but they seem to handle pressure well.

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I think in general many of the older skaters and teams that will be retiring from competition will have alot of pressure. How they handle it will determine their fates.

Joubert and Johnny are two who come to mind. Plushy less so because he has already done it and I think he will feel less pressure. Lambiel may feel pressure but he already has a Silver and I am not sure of his expectations.

I think Evan's goal is to skate his best and hope for a medal. That sounds realistic to me.

B/A will be feeling pressure since they are retiring and this is their last shot at OGM. In the past it might have been considered their turn - but whoever knows how Dance will be scored?

For sure Yuna, Joannie, Miki and Mao but they were already mentioned.

If Sasha makes it to Vancouver I think she will feel pressure because NBC will probably hype her chances - and Sasha doesn't seem to be a girl who is ever happy not winning.

I think that Jourbert's pressures would be lifted after the injury. I only hope for his speedy recovery.

Yuna's pressures would never be compared with anyone else's. She seems to be one of the most famous persons in Korea. What happens if she doesn't win OGM? Does she have to apologize for disappointing Silver and asked over and over again why she failed? Does she have to continue skating until 2014 to make up for the mistake? Winning last season would have increased the pressures so much. She got Bronze twice and pressures would have been lighter now if not Gold last season. But I am glad that she does not seem to be taking it too seriously at least on surface.

Ladies: Yu-Na by far.

Men: Brian (I'm not sure if that's just me freaking out)
I'd be tempted to say Evan, but he seems quite relaxed
Daisuke Takahashi

Pairs: S/S and Z/Z

Ice-dancing: DelSchoes, B&A and V&M

Well everybody is under pressure in the olympics even if it only comes from the skater him/herself. Certainly Kim as the favorite and Virtue/Moir along with Joannie and Chan as hometown kids will be under a lot as well.

NatachaHatawa said:

Ladies: Yu-Na by far.

Men: Brian (I'm not sure if that's just me freaking out)
I'd be tempted to say Evan, but he seems quite relaxed
Daisuke Takahashi

Pairs: S/S and Z/Z

Ice-dancing: DelSchoes, B&A and V&M

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I agree with those choices. I think Evan is under pressure but he is handling it very well. Joubert seems to be under immense pressure, mostly cos of his own expectations.
Rochette is definetely feeling a lot of pressure but I think Mao has felt much more considerable pressure before the total meltdown. The JPN fans are not easy on their fav ladies skaters. Now that Miki is back in the limelight, she will face most of that pressure and that should give Mao some relief.

Yu-Na Kim. Being a 19-year old mega-celebrity in a country with no serious figure skating prospects other than her, coming in as the world champion, GPF Champion, and world record holder, can't be easy even if you have a great team behind you. And the expectations have been huge since she was a junior. I hope she will be able to handle them.

Other than Yu-Na:

• Brian Joubert. It's not just his own expectations, though it seems he puts an immense amount of pressure on himself; it's also the ghosts of 2006 and the difficult federation he's dealt with his entire career. Brian has been the French no. 1 since he was a teenager - it must be crazy. Paradoxically, I think the injury might take some of the pressure off him because it gives him something else to focus on: a comeback.
  
• Savchenko/Szolkowy, who have amassed an impressive record over the last few years, only to see S/Z return as sentimental favorites - and in very good form. It looks like they will have to be pristine clean to have a shot at getting the scores they will likely need. They're rarely pristine clean.
  
• Patrick Chan: I don't buy the "I'm just going to enjoy the experience" line. There are too many expectations of him, even after the disappointment at Skate Canada, and it could conceivably end up being a Kostner-in-Torino type situation. I'm by no means a fan, but I would not want to see another skater crushed like that.
  
• Belbin/Agosto: their track record ensures that expectations will be high, and now they suddenly have to prove themselves against a more fashionable American choice, not to mention a deep international field.

I'd say Domnina & Shabalin. It's up to them to keep the Russian dominance going (while 2002 OGM did go to France, half of that team was Russian-born-and-raised Anissina). With all of their injuries, I'd say they're under enormous pressure.

The judges, tech callers and commentators. They need to get this right. The IOC isn't going to look favorably on yet another olympic ice scandal and based on the GF scores and what was presented on the ice... the judging better be flawless.

Sasha. The experts and not-so-experts on the skating boards have already decided she's not fit to represent the US, so if she goes, she's screwed before she even starts. If she falls even once, it'll be "there she goes again" - let alone that every lady this season has had bad skates. She's held to a different standard.

On the positive side, she must be used to it by now. But I'm really glad she's training away from the cameras so she can focus on her skating in peace.

Belbin & Agosto must be petrified about the chance of losing to their own teammates.

I'd say S/Z because all it takes is one slip and their whole stated reason for coming back melts away. But they are such pros. They seem to know exactly how to handle the pressure, even Olympic pressure.

Johnny because it's probably his last season and he wants to excel so badly. I think his whole future turns on his next two competitions. He's been competing very well but still, he always seems more emotionally vulnerable than others.

And of course Mao who has been building for this moment her whole life and has spent this season learning how hard she can fall. I just hope she can own the underdog position and fly with it.

Buttercup said:

Yu-Na Kim.
[*]Brian Joubert. It's not just his own expectations, though it seems he puts an immense amount of pressure on himself; it's also the ghosts of 2006 and the difficult federation he's dealt with his entire career. Brian has been the French no. 1 since he was a teenager - it must be crazy. Paradoxically, I think the injury might take some of the pressure off him because it gives him something else to focus on: a comeback.

[*]Savchenko/Szolkowy, who have amassed an impressive record over the last few years, only to see S/Z return as sentimental favorites - and in very good form. It looks like they will have to be pristine clean to have a shot at getting the scores they will likely need. They're rarely pristine clean.

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I couldn't agree more.

Kwanford Wife said:

The judges, tech callers and commentators. They need to get this right. The IOC isn't going to look favorably on yet another olympic ice scandal and based on the GF scores and what was presented on the ice... the judging better be flawless.

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wow!

Well there are so many, just the short list...

Ladies: Yu-Na Kim, Mao Asada, Joannie Rochette
Men: Brian Joubert, Patrick Chan
Pairs: Savchenko & Szolkowy, Kavaguti & Smirnov
Dance: Domnina & Shabalin, Belbin & Agosto

I think there's negative pressure and positive pressure. Both are hard to handle but negative pressure has got to be worse:

Positive:
**Kim Yuna: She's probably under more pressure than anyone but at least it's the pressure of everyone thinking you're the best and hoping to see amazing skating from you. Hopefully she can channel the goodwill.
**Evan Lysacek. World champion, carries the hopes of his country. At the same time, he's not an overwhelming favorite for OGM. It's not like the gold is his to lose. A lot of people are cheering for him but fans understand how stiff his competition is. Definitely good pressure.
***Rachael Flatt. She'll be under the most pressure she's ever been at nationals, given what's at stake. But a lot of people believe in her and she certainly seems like someone who gets excited about this kind of situation more than flustered. If she makes the team, the only pressure she'll face at the Olympics is to do her best. There'll be no expectations of a medal.
**Miki Ando. Unless there is something I don't know about her situation, I really think she mostly has the pressure of carrying a lot of her country's hopes. And the pressure she puts on herself.
**Mirai Nagasu. Last year at nationals the pressure was negative. But this year, she's sort of back to being plain old underdog, and she's so young that if she doesn't make the team, her career can still recover. If she keeps things in perspective, she will not crumble.

Negative pressure:
**Mao Asada: The pressure of proving you are still in the game is never good pressure.
**Johnny Weir. Ditto.
**Caroline Zhang. Ditto.
** Carolina Kostner. Double ditto.
**Alissa Czisny. I think she was under the worst possible sort of pressure at worlds last year. On the one hand, she was the National Champion. On the other, it came with none of the goodwill it usually comes with. All these people saying that she will probably bomb and it'll be all her fault if the U.S. can't win three spots on the Olympic team,, and her victory at nationals was bogus, and Caroline should have gone, etc, etc, etc. She'll face the exact same pressure this year at nationals and _ if she even makes the team _ at the Olympics. It'll be a miracle if she can shut it all out ... but I refuse to stop believing

Mixed:
**Joannie Rochette. She was under all good pressure until the GP final. But it's not a disastrous meltdown like Mao or Carolina, and I think JoRo knows that and truly believes she can shake it off.
**Jeremy Abbott. Same sort of thing. He sort of has to fight against a reputation of inconsistency but it's nothing like what Alissa or Carolina are facing. And there hasn't been a meltdown like Mao. Just ups and downs.